As I watch my sons grow into faith-filled young men, it gives me great joy to reflect on the role that our family’s Catholic faith has on their lives. At sixteen and thirteen, Eric and Adam have begun that tenuous walk into what will be their future lives as men and leaders of their own families. Praying for them each morning, I ask God for his aid in helping my husband and I do our very best at equipping them to be all they can be in so many aspects of life, but particularly spiritually. After all, what greater gift can we as parents give our children than a relationship with and love for a God who loves each of us unconditionally?

Our faith and the practicing of it have been at the core of their lives since before my boys were born. This felt natural to me, since I grew up as the eldest of five in a home where family rosaries and devotions to patron saints were touchstones. Some families have reunions at dude ranches or amusement parks. My extended family gathers at sacraments, marveling in the beautiful goodness of these outward signs of God’s grace. In the past year, I have flown across country to celebrate a marriage, a baptism, a First Communion, and the rosary and funeral Mass of a beloved grandmother. These wonderful rituals mark the circle of life in a way that ties our Catholic faith to the passage of time and the beauty and dignity of every phase of life.

If you were to ask my children to share some of their favorite family traditions, their responses would be a testament to the living out of Catholicism in our home. In the liturgical calendar, the Church has given families the perfect tool for educating our children in the faith and incorporating its traditions into our family lives. In her book The Catholic Home, author Meredith Gould shares, “Following the Catholic calendar closely can teach you more - and more personally – about faith traditions than attending CCD [Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, catechetical education]. And it can enrich your whole family’s sense of faith, family and tradition.”i

Every year, as our American society moves into the mode of stress and materialism in preparation for the Christmas holidays, our family marks a new year’s celebration near the end of November or early December with Advent, the beginning of the liturgical year. With the lighting of candles on our Advent Wreath and the counting down of days on our Advent Calendars, we wait with hopeful anticipation for the coming celebration of God’s greatest gift, Jesus Christ. I have found that an embracing of the true meaning of Advent has helped our family focus on the spiritual aspects of preparing for Christmas and has given us a wonderful perspective on the holidays. Of course, since our Christmas season extends to the feast of the Baptism of the Lord on January 8th, we have plenty of time to celebrate.

Following the Christmas season, our family and our church fall into the days of Ordinary Time, which will resume again after the season of Easter. Far from ordinary, the calendar during this time is filled with opportunities to learn the treasures of our faith. Sprinkled throughout these months are the feast days of saints, role models of virtuous lives, and of Mary, our spiritual mother and our advocate with Jesus. Author Danielle Bean writes in her book Mom to Mom, Day to Day, “Beyond the well-known observances of Easter, Christmas, Lent and Advent, there are a wide variety of lesser-known feasts and special days to learn about and celebrate together.”ii Each of my children has a special patron saint, chosen at the time of their birth and celebrated annually on that saint’s feast day. Learning about these and other holy men and women has given our family spiritual role models to emulate in our own spiritual journeys.

Another wonderful treasure of living the liturgical calendar and embracing Ordinary Time is following the cycle of scripture readings during the course of the year. Every three years, the lectionary cycle is repeated giving us a complete overview of the four Gospels during the course of the three years. Our children grow up reading scripture both at the Sunday Liturgy of the Word at Mass and at home. With readings from both the Old and New Testaments and weekly Psalms, the Bible becomes a living tool and a guidebook for life.

One of my favorite seasons of the Church calendar is Lent, the time of preparation prior to the ultimate celebration, Easter. Having often missed the mark on my own New Year’s resolutions by the waning days of February, Lent offers my family and me the opportunity to focus on spiritual resolutions. Every Lent, we offer devotions of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, in an effort to bring us closer to God and to one another. By the end of this period of sacrifice and purification, our hearts are prepared to truly rejoice on Easter Sunday as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Just as we grow and develop physically throughout the course of our lives, we must continue to strive for spiritual evolution for our families and ourselves. Living the liturgical calendar and marking the celebrations and traditions of our Church has helped my family grow in faith and intimacy with each other. Blessedly, it is a journey that continues year after year.

__________________________________________________i. Meredith Gould, The Catholic Home: Celebrations and Traditions for Holidays, Feast Days and Every Day (New York: Doubleday, 2004), p. 5.ii. Danielle Bean, Mom to Mom, Day to Day: Advice and Support for Catholic Living (Boston: Pauline Books and Media, 2007), p. 103.

Lisa M. Hendey, webmaster of www.CatholicMom.com, resides in Fresno, California with her husband and two sons. Contact her at lisahendey@gmail.com.